Duchess's daughters walked off to a
distant piano with an admiring friend and touched a few notes; while
Iphigenia Palliser boldly took up a book, and placed herself at a
table. Alice, who was sitting opposite to Lady Glencora, began to
speculate whether she might do the same; but her courage failed her,
and she sat on, telling herself that she was out of her element.
"Alice Vavasor," said Lady Glencora after a while, suddenly, and in a
somewhat loud voice, "can you play billiards?"

"No," said Alice, rather startled.

"Then you shall learn to-night, and if nobody else will teach you,
you shall be my pupil." Whereupon Lady Glencora rang the bell and
ordered that the billiard-table might be got ready. "You'll play,
Duchess, of course," said Lady Glencora.

"It is so nice and warm, that I think I will," said the Duchess; but
as she spoke she looked suspiciously to that part of the room where
Mrs Conway Sparkes was sitting.

"Let us all play," said Mrs Conway Sparkes, "and then it will be
nicer,--and perhaps warmer, too."

The gentlemen joined them just as they were settling themselves round
the table, and as many of them stayed there, the billiard-room became
full. Alice had first a cue put into her hand, and making nothing
of that was permitted to play with a mace. The duty of instructing
her devolved on Jeffrey Palliser, and the next hour passed
pleasantly;--not so pleasantly, she thought afterwards, as did some
of those hours in Switzerland when her cousins were with her. After
all, she could get more out of her life with such associates as them,
than she could with any of these people at Matching. She felt quite
sure of that;--though Jeffrey Palliser did take great trouble to
teach her the game, and once or twice made her laugh heartily by
quizzing the Duchess's attitude as she stood up to make her stroke.

"I wish I could play billiards," said Mrs Sparkes, on one of these
occasions; "I do indeed."

"I thought you said you were coming to play," said the Duchess,
almost majestically, and with a tone of triumph evidently produced
by her own successes.

"Only to see your Grace," said Mrs Sparkes.

"I don't know that there is anything more to see in me than in
anybody else," said the Duchess. "Mr Palliser, that was a cannon.
Will you mark that for our side?"

"Oh no, Duchess, you hit the same ball twice."

"Very well;--then I suppose Miss Vavasor plays now. That was a miss.
Will you mark that, if you pleas